The Green Bay Packers added another name from their battered offensive line to the injury report Tuesday, listing second-year lineman Anthony Belton as limited with an elbow issue ahead of Thursday night’s home opener.
Belton took part only in a walkthrough, so the participation level is an estimate. The 6-foot-6, 336-pound blocker had been the leading candidate to start at right tackle after Zach Bako-Bewele suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon Sunday.
Bako-Bewele, who changed his name from Zach Tom before the season, went down on the third offensive play of a 20-17 overtime win at the New York Jets. He said Tuesday he will have surgery Thursday and expects an eight- to 10-month recovery.
“It’s definitely not what I anticipated happening, but you’ve just got to get back to work and then start thinking about next year,” Bako-Bewele said.
The Packers are 1-1 and host the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field in a short-week Thursday Night Football game. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CDT.
Green Bay’s offensive line has been in flux since training camp. Left guard Aaron Banks missed Tuesday’s session with a knee and toe injury. He sat out Week 1 with lingering tendinitis and left the Jets game after 22 snaps.
Backup Donovan Jennings, who started at left guard in Week 1, was limited Tuesday with a hand injury. He lasted 14 snaps Sunday before giving way to fifth-round rookie Jager Burton.
The Packers finished the Jets game with Jordan Morgan at left tackle, Burton at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Jacob Monk at right guard and Belton at right tackle.
Belton, a 2025 second-round pick out of NC State (54th overall), started seven games as a rookie, six of them at right guard. He entered this season with 86 career snaps at right tackle and worked extensively with the first-team offense this summer while Bako-Bewele recovered from a partial tear of the same tendon last December.
In limited action this year Belton has played 60 offensive snaps, allowed three pressures and drawn two holding penalties, both against the Jets. His early-season PFF grade sits at 50.8 among tackles.
If Belton cannot go Thursday, the Packers would likely turn to 2025 seventh-round pick John Williams or 2024 draft choice Travis Glover. Glover has 41 career NFL snaps, nine of them at right tackle. Practice-squad tackle Dalton Cooper is another option.
The unit has already used three different left guards through two games. Monk remains the starter at right guard for now even as questions linger about the position.
Wednesday’s practice will be the first real session of the week and should give a clearer picture of who lines up against Atlanta. The Falcons are expected to start Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback in his first action of the season.
Green Bay’s line allowed the Jets to generate pressure and committed multiple penalties in the overtime win. Another shuffle on a short week raises the degree of difficulty for quarterback Jordan Love and the running game.
Belton’s elbow issue is the latest wrinkle in a position group that has lacked continuity since the offseason. The Packers hoped his versatility at both tackle and guard would provide insurance. Now they need him healthy just to fill one hole.
